Time to take a stand

After the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there are obviously worries about the West intervening in Syria and Egypt. But it is the right thing to do, writes former British prime minister Tony Blair.

The announcement, following the use of chemical weapons in Syria, of an emergency summit in Jordan this week of military leaders from the US, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar is a welcome development. Western policy is at a crossroads: Commentary or action; shaping events or reacting to them.

After the long, painful campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, I understand every impulse to stay clear of the turmoil, to watch but not to intervene, to ratchet up language but not to engage in the hard business of changing reality on the ground.